Country artist Scotty McCreery visits with Mickey and Minnie Mouse during his promotional campaign after “American Idol.”

Country music and its artists have been growing in popularity with music fans in the United States for several years now. In that time, however, international fans have remained elusive for the most part.

In an effort to close that gap, the Country Music Association will leapfrog into the City of Light this March and, with any luck, onto the playlists of people across the globe.

The International Country Music Marketing Summit, hosted by CMA on March 1 at Disneyland Paris, will feature panels, research presentations, and opportunities to network with Country Music industry representatives.

The one-day event also will include the CMA Songwriter Series at Billy Bob’s in Disneyland Paris with artists and songwriters, including Wynonna, Kristian Bush from Sugarland, Brett James and Dallas Davidson, performing their hits and telling the stories behind each song.
It is part of CMA’s mission to expand the country music format around the world.

“With immediate and convenient access to Country Music, the world market is fertile ground for our industry and artists,” said Steve Moore, chief executive officer of CMA said in a statement.

“Country artists are selling out major venues; our CMA Songwriter Series is returning to the U.K. and Ireland in February; and new events like the ‘C2C: Country to Country’ Country Music festival at the O2 Arena in London in March are a strong indication of the burgeoning popularity of the music and the need for this type of educational platform across the world.”